Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Galileo System

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the Galileo satellite navigation system will be available in the UK; and whether that system will be provided free to the end user.

Greg Clark: The European Commission, as the Galileo Programme Manager, is expected to issue a revised launch timetable shortly, this will inform the timetable for the provision of services.   The system is designed to provide four different services under Full Operational Capability (FOC). One of these, the ‘Open Service’ will be free of charge to the end user.

Galileo System

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent progress has been made on the Galileo satellite navigation system project.

Greg Clark: In 2014, two new EU Regulations came into force: the Galileo Regulation (EU 1285/2013), and the amending GSA Regulation (EU 512/2014). These set out further detail on governance and programme delivery.   The European Commission will issue a revised launch schedule shortly, following the full inquiry into the launch anomaly that occurred on 22 August 2014.

Galileo System

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the UK's total contribution to the cost of the Galileo satellite navigation system project will be.

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the cost to the UK has been of the Galileo satellite navigation system project to date.

Greg Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Havant (David Willetts) on 22 January 2014, Official Report, column 213W regarding the cost of the Galileo and EGNOS satellite navigation programmes.

Galileo System

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the benefits to the UK realised to date of the Galileo satellite navigation system project.

Greg Clark: Galileo is still in development and it is not currently possible to provide exact figures. The current total estimated value of Galileo-related contracts won by UK companies is in excess of the UK’s contribution to the Galileo programme (via the EU budget).

Regional Growth Fund

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many applications to the Regional Growth Fund were submitted in each local authority area since the inception of that Fund; and what proportion of those applications were approved.

Greg Clark: The employment effects of each Regional Growth Fund project and programme are spread across many local authorities. The tables attached show the number of bids to the Regional Growth Fund, and the number approved, for each region of England in bidding rounds 1-6. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 October 2014 to Question UIN 206062, which provides a breakdown of the value of bids received by region for Rounds 1-5. 



Number of bids to the Regional Growth Fund
(Word Document, 36.5 KB)

Overseas Trade: Latin America

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to improve trade between the UK and emerging markets in Latin America; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has teams throughout Latin America supporting British firms. It has increased resource in Colombia and Mexico, while Government has opened new embassies in El Salvador and Paraguay and a new Consulate General in Recife, Brazil; each of which is working to improve trade links. Additionally, dedicated prosperity officers have been added in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina and Panama  As Part of the GREAT campaign the Government has supported missions in Brazil (supporting Education, energy, sport and retail), Mexico (Ports) and Peru (Energy). To the end of 2014 UKTI has reported £80 million in business wins related to GREAT campaign activities in the region.   UK Export Finance (UKEF) is supporting UK firms in the region through the provision of an International Export Finance Adviser based in Rio de Janeiro. UKEF has provided some £1.5 billion of support for exports over recent years and is considering further projects including municipal infrastructure and education projects in Columbia and Brazil.   The Government continues to strive for greater trade liberalisation between the UK and Latin America through securing EU free trade agreements (FTAs) in the region. The EU-Chile FTA helped UK-Chile bilateral trade increase by 360% between 2003 and 2012. Through the EU the UK has recently concluded trade negotiations with Central American countries and with Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. The UK continues to make a case for an FTA with Mercosur (South America’s leading trading bloc) countries.

Overseas Trade: Turkey

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to support UK companies bidding for contracts in Turkey.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 03 February 2015



The Government supports UK companies bidding for contracts in Turkey through Ministerial and high level official engagement including the Joint Economic Committee with Turkey, High Value Opportunity campaigns that position UK companies as partners of choice and guarantees, insurance and direct loans available through UK Export Finance.

Ordnance Survey

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to change Ordnance Survey into a Government-owned company.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 12 February 2015



The change to a Government–owned Company is operational in nature. Having carried out due diligence on existing legislative references and as there is no change to the ownership model, there are no legislative requirements to effect the change.

Department for Education

Unemployment: Young People

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2015 to Question 222508, what steps her Department is taking to improve its tracking and monitoring at (a) local authority and (b) national level of young people at risk of (i) having an unknown educational status and (ii) not being in employment, education or training.

Nick Boles: Local authorities (LAs) are responsible for collecting information to identify young people who are not participating, or who are at risk of not doing so; this information is aggregated to produce national level data. Steps to improve the tracking and monitoring of young people are focussed on the activity of individual LAs.   The Department regularly makes data available to show the proportion of young people in each LA: who are participating; who are not in education, employment or training (NEET); or whose activity is unknown. Those LAs who are performing poorly on monitoring this information are followed up and monitored, so that improvement actions can be agreed with them.   The Department is exploring whether further data sharing is possible between government departments and agencies, as this would help LAs track and monitor their young people’s outcomes and destinations. Arrangements have already been made for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to pass details of 18 and 19 year olds making a new claim for benefits to LAs each month, to help identify young people NEET.   The Department continues to encourage and support networking and the exchange of good practice among LAs. The Local Government Association has published a guide to support LAs in tracking young people, drawing on local practice. The Department will also further identify and share with LAs successful approaches to improving their data about young people.

Community Schools

Mr Gerry Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers at local authority community schools have achieved Learning Outside the Classroom accreditation in each of the last 10 years.

Mr David Laws: The Learning Outside the Classroom accreditation is run by an independent organisation. The Department for Education does not collect information on which schools have achieved the accreditation or quality mark. Decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rightly rest with schools, individual teachers and heads, as they are in the best position to make judgements about their requirements to help their pupils achieve good outcomes.

Schools: Inspections

Sir Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will investigate reports by parents of pupils at Grindon Hall Christian School and Durham Free School that complaints to Ofsted about age-inappropriate and religiously hostile questioning of their children by inspectors were not investigated.

Mr David Laws: Any complaints about the conduct of Ofsted inspectors are a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector. I understand that Ofsted is investigating matters raised by the schools and by some parents and will respond to these in due course.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Grace and Favour Housing

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of running and maintaining each grace and favour residence provided by his Department to senior figures from the armed forces in each year since 2010.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 21 July 2014






An error has been identified in the written answer given on 07 August 2014.The correct answer should have been:

Under previous arrangements, Official Service Residences (OSRs, colloquially known as ‘grace and favour’ residencies) were provided for senior officers in certain posts which required them to undertake official hospitality for Defence purposes. As announced by the then Minister for Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Andrew Robathan) on 12 December 2011 (Official Report, column 63WS), these arrangements have been discontinued. Properties which were formerly categorised as OSRs are being phased out on a rolling basis as personnel retire or move on to other posts. However, senior officers remain entitled to Service Family Accommodation (Type 1 or Type 2). In addition, the Department is undertaking an ongoing review into domestic assistance policy to ensure that the level of support provided to senior entitled officers is appropriate and driven by a clear business need. Information is available for financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 and is presented in the tables.


Tables forming part of the answer to 205237
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Tables forming part of the answer to 205237 v3
(Word Document, 209 KB)

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 21 July 2014



Under previous arrangements, Official Service Residences (OSRs, colloquially known as ‘grace and favour’ residencies) were provided for senior officers in certain posts which required them to undertake official hospitality for Defence purposes. As announced by the then Minister for Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Andrew Robathan) on 12 December 2011 (Official Report, column 63WS), these arrangements have been discontinued. Properties which were formerly categorised as OSRs are being phased out on a rolling basis as personnel retire or move on to other posts. However, senior officers remain entitled to Service Family Accommodation (Type 1 or Type 2). In addition, the Department is undertaking an ongoing review into domestic assistance policy to ensure that the level of support provided to senior entitled officers is appropriate and driven by a clear business need. Information is available for financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 and is presented in the tables.


Tables forming part of the answer to 205237
(Word Document, 260 KB)




Tables forming part of the answer to 205237 v3
(Word Document, 209 KB)

HM Treasury

Oil: Prices

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2015 to Question 222161, what estimate he has made of the extent of the increase in UK GDP provided by falling oil prices.

Priti Patel: As noted in the answer given to the Honorable Member on 2 February 2015, falling oil prices will provide a further boost to the UK’s GDP, which in 2014 grew faster than any other major advanced economy. Cheaper oil and low inflation will support living standards across the country for hardworking families and reduce business costs.

Fuels: Rebates

Katy Clark: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward proposals to increase the island fuel rebate.

Katy Clark: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he last reviewed the level of the island fuel rebate.

Priti Patel: The Government keeps all elements of the island rural fuel rebate scheme under review. In 2013, the Government published a report which found the rebate to be effectively reducing prices for motorists.   The UK required EU approval to introduce the scheme. The EU permission for the island scheme is in place until 2017. Ahead of the scheme’s expiry in 2017, the Government will consider the case for applying to the EU for renewal, along with the case for altering aspects of the scheme.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Culture

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local bodies spending money on major sporting and cultural events as a means of boosting growth.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Investment from local bodies is a matter for the bodies in question, however the support of local bodies is important for the successful staging of major sporting and cultural events, which we know can bring significant benefits. Local bodies have invested in both the 2014 Tour De France Grand Départ, which generated £102m of benefit to Yorkshire and the UK City of Culture 2017 which is expected to deliver a £60m boost to Hull's economy. Over one million people visited Derry-Londonderry during their UK City of Culture year. Additionally DCMS commissioned ECORYS to carry out an independent literature review on the local economic impacts from cultural sector investments which will be published in due course.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2014 to Question 222384, on broadband, what the digital and video on demand outlets were and how much was spent with Facebook.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Holding answer received on 12 February 2015



The digital outlets Facebook, Youtube, Google, Twitter, Mail Online, Telegraph Online, Money Supermarket, Spotify, Xbox, 4th Screen and Skype.The video outlets were Videology, ITV.com, 4OD and Demand 5Facebook spend is £14,898.95

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2014 to Question 222384, whether regional data is available on any of the campaign spend.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Holding answer received on 12 February 2015



Regional data is not available on any of the campaign spend as media was bought on a national basis. The purpose of the campaign is to increase public awareness of, and interest in superfast broadband in order to drive take up. The Government’s Superfast Broadband programme is central to the economic growth agenda. Every £1 spent will see a return of up to £20 in net economic benefits with 89% outside of London and the South East.

Deputy Prime Minister

Sovereignty: Scotland

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2014 to Question 217539, when he plans to publish (a) the Invitation to Quote for that contract including the Specification Requirements document, (b) details of the criteria against which suppliers were judged and (c) the invoice submitted for that work; and what the reasons are for the time taken to publish those documents.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Cabinet Office contracted Engine Partners LLP to provide communications support work for the Scottish independence referendum. The relevant tender documents and contract are available on the UK Government’s transparency portal, Contracts Finder, on the following web page:https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/Common/View%20Notice.aspx?site=1000&lang=en&NoticeId=1674856. Information about the costs of this work is already publicly available as part of our routine transparency publications at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data